Yesterday (Tuesday, 08/11/15) my wife (Birgit) and I did an all-day
six-site search in Cameron County focused largely on shorebirds. Herein are
described our shorebird finds (and, occasionally, a few non-shorebird ones)
at these sites. They show clearly that shorebird migration is well
underway, for we found, in total, 21 shorebird species across the six sites
we visited. We began our search around 10:00 AM and finished the search
very late in the day. What follows are the sites, in order of visitation
(or initial visitation yesterday in the case of the one site visited twice)
and the shorebirds found at each (plus a few others of possible interest):
WEAVER ROAD SOD FIELD: The only productive field here was the field at the
northeast corner of the dog leg of this road. It had been watered quite
extensively, and water still was standing at various places. Present in
addition to the shorebirds listed here were untold hundreds of Great-tailed
Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds, along with some Eastern Meadowlarks.
Here are the shorebirds found: KILLDEER (several; not counted);
BLACK-NECKED STILT (est. 15-20); GREATER YELLOWLEGS (2); SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPER (1); WESTERN SANDPIPER (1); LEAST SANDPIPER (several, perhaps
more; not easily counted amidst some moderately tall grass); BAIRDâS
SANDPIPER (1, our personal first-of-season); PECTORAL SANDPIPER (5, at
least); and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (14 or 15), some with still very
attractive breeding color. We doubt that these counts disclose anywhere
nearly completely the numbers of some of the shorebird species there,
thanks to obscuration by vegetation, distance, and heat waves, making some
birds seen but not reliably identifiable. Total shorebird species
identifiable at this site = 9.
DIXIELAND PARK (HARLINGEN): SPOTTED SANDPIPER (1); we visited this site
specifically in hope of finding this species, which we found in precisely
the location where we have found it in previous years, the northwest corner
of the lake on rocks west of small tree beside the shoreline. In the
non-shorebird category this site yielded, also, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
(2) and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (15, at least). Total shorebird
species identifiable at this site = 1.
EAST SIDE OF TX-4 (BOCA CHICA BLVD.) AT EASTERNMOST PULL-OFF BEFORE GULF
BEACH (early- and late-afternoon visits): SNOWY PLOVER (3); WILSONâS PLOVER
(several; widespread and moving about, so not easy to count reliably);
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (3); KILLDEER (1); GREATER YELLOWLEGS (8-10;
uncertainty due to frequent movements by this species); SANDERLING
(several); WESTERN SANDPIPER (est. 80-85; many showed considerable
nonbreeding body plumage, but a very few showed both nicely colored
scapulars and bold black markings); LEAST SANDPIPER (several);
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (17, at least); and WILSONâS PHALAROPE (3). (These
figures refer to relatively close shorebirds where feature-based species
judgment was possible. There were perhaps hundreds more distant shorebirds
that could not be identified as to species. They usually were seen in
groups, in shallows or on sandbars too distant to justify efforts at
species identification. There was a substantial wave of migration underway
in the area yesterday.) Total shorebird species identifiable at this site 10.
GULF BEACH BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH OF TX-4 TERMINUS: In mid-afternoon we drove
northward until the sand became so deep that we dared not challenge it, so
we turned about and drove southward close enough to the Rio Grandeâs mouth
that it could be seen from our vehicle. At that point deep sand made
farther driving unwise, which we regretted because we had wished to see
what might be present where the riverâs fresh water met the Gulf. (When we
returned through a given area we did not do any second counts, hoping to
avoid false positives for new individuals of a given species.) The beach
south of the TX-4 terminus was generally in better condition for driving
than much of it north of TX-4. We had planned our visit on a falling tide,
and we found the shorebirds taking great advantage of that: BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER (1 adult, north of TX-4; an individual in such splendid breeding
plumage that I could not resist stopping to get photos); WILLET (8-10);
RUDDY TURNSTONE (10-12); and SANDERLING (est.25-30). Non-shorebird
highlights along this stretch were: GREAT BLUE HERON (3; tall,
rock-solid-looking sentinels standing statue still as they faced downwind);
ROYAL TERN (est. 60; always in substantial groups; always a joy to see
graceful flight on those long, slender wings); SANDWICH TERN (10-12,
possibly conservative); and BROWN PELICAN (3). Total shorebird species
identifiable at this site = 4.
TX-48 BOAT LAUNCH AREA (BETWEEN BROWNSVILLE AND PORT ISABEL): BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER (1); WILSONâS PLOVER (several dozen, at the least; amazing numbers,
dashing about nearly everywhere); SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (4 or 5); AMERICAN
OYSTERCATCHER (2, adults); WILLET (several); and LONG-BILLED CURLEW (1).
Non-shorebird species of possible interest: TRICOLORED HERON (1); LEAST
TERN (3); and BLACK SKIMMER (est. 50-60). This site again proved itself one
of the best spots in this area to find Wilsonâs Plover and American
Oystercatcher. Total shorebird species identifiable this site = 6.
PORT ISABEL RESERVOIR (NORTHWEST OF LAGUNA VISTA ALONG HOLLY BEACH RD.):
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (1); WILSONâS PLOVER (4); SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (6);
KILLDEER (1); BLACK-NECKED STILT (est. 40-45; noisy and very nervous birds
that lived up to their reputation yesterday of setting to flight virtually
all the species in an area at the mere sight of a human; fortunately all
seemed, ultimately, to return and be studied); GREATER YELLOWLEGS (35, at
least); WILLET (several); and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (est. 15, preferring
to forage among the cut (or broken?) remains of marsh vegetation standing
in water, rather than in more open, equally deep area. In the non-shorebird
domain LEAST TERN (3 or 4) were in the area, as well BLACK SKIMMERS
(several). For many weeks this site had had water far too deep to be useful
to shorebirds, and our several other tries on the area some weeks ago found
virtually nothing of interest. Yesterday, apparently due to extended hot
days and strong winds, the water level was again suitable for shorebirds,
and we suspect it may become all the more so in the next week or so unless
the area receives some substantial rain. Total shorebird species
identifiable at this site = 8.
Wishing everyone the best of fall migration birding â Rex Stanford
(Weslaco).
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